Freya Smith Dinshah (born 1941) is the author of '' The Vegan Kitchen'', president of the

American Vegan Society The American Vegan Society (AVS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes veganism in the United States. It was founded in 1960 by H. Jay Dinshah. The date of the earlier The Vegan Society (UK)'s founding, November 1, is now celebr ...

in Malaga, New Jersey, and editor of '' American Vegan'' magazine (formerly ''Ahimsa'').

Early life

Freya Smith was born in

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. ...

, England in 1941 to Grace Smith, who was active in

The Vegan Society The Vegan Society is a registered charity and the oldest vegan organization in the world, founded in the United Kingdom in 1944 by Donald Watson, Elsie Shrigley, George Henderson and his wife Fay Henderson among others. History In November, ...

. There, she attended the Rosebery School for Girls.

Professional career

Dinshah cofounded the Epsom Animal's Friends and Epsom Youth Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament groups. Dinshah and her husband formed the American Vegan Society in 1960. In 1961, Dinshah and her husband participated in the American Natural Hygiene Society Convention, held in Chicago. The following year she and her husband moved the

from New Jersey to California. Her ''The Vegan Kitchen'' (1965) was, according to food historian Karen Page, the first American book to use the word "vegan." In 1974, Dinshah along with

Jay Dinshah Hom Jay Dinshah (November 2, 1933 – June 8, 2000) was an American veganism activist and natural hygiene proponent who was the founder and president of the American Vegan Society and the editor of its publication the ''Ahimsa'' magazine (1960–2 ...

Helen Nearing Helen Knothe Nearing (February 23, 1904 – September 17, 1995) was an American author, advocate of simple living and a lifelong vegetarian. Biography Helen Knothe was born on February 23, 1904, in Ridgewood, New Jersey, as the daughter of Fr ...

Scott Nearing Scott Nearing (August 6, 1883 – August 24, 1983) was an American Political radicalism, radical economist, educator, writer, political activist, pacifist, vegetarian and advocate of simple living. Biography Early years Nearing was born in Mor ...

and others founded the

North American Vegetarian Society The North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) is a charity and activist organization with the stated objectives of supporting vegetarians and informing the public about the benefits of vegetarianism. It was initially founded in 1974 to organize the ...

in order to host the 23rd World Vegetarian Congress in

Orono, Maine Orono () is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. Located on the Penobscot and Stillwater rivers, it was first settled by American colonists in 1774. They named it in honor of Chief Joseph Orono, a sachem of the indigenous Penobsco ...

in 1975. Dinshah organized the vegan food for 1500 attendees at the World Vegetarian Congress, where her husband

was elected president. She was in charge of catering and authored a vegan (then termed ‘total-vegetarian’) cookbook for the event. All food for the Congress was all-vegan, as is the base for many vegetarian and vegan conferences today, but in 1975, foodservice had separate, clearly-marked, small containers of milk and cheese for those who insisted on having them. In 2020, the ''

Portland Press Herald The ''Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram'' is a morning daily newspaper with a website that serves southern Maine and is focused on the greater metropolitan area around Portland, Maine, in the United States. Founded in 1862, its roots e ...

'' printed a report about the history of the 1975 event and said Dinshah's use of fresh food at the event was unusual for the time: "In addition to being fresh and seasonal, the food at the congress was very simple with little seasoning in order to accommodate the needs of all the various vegetarians in attendance, some of whom eschewed salt, sugar, white flour or spices." In 1990, along with her husband, she was the first inductee in the North American Vegetarian Society's Vegetarian Hall of Fame. After her husband died in 2000, Dinshah assumed leadership of

and became its president. She edits ''American Vegan'' (formerly Ahimsa) magazine. She has been a frequent speaker at vegan and vegetarian conferences.

Publications

* The Vegan Kitchen (Malaga, N.J.: American Vegan Society, 1987) * ''Apples, Bean Dip, and Carrot Cake: Kids! Teach Yourself to Cook, with Anne Dinshah'' * Feeding vegan babies. pamphlet #23-01 * ''XXIII World Vegetarian Congress Cook Book'' (1975)

Honors and awards

* 1990: Induction, Vegetarian Hall of Fame, now 'Vegan Hall of Fame' (North American Vegetarian Society) * 2003: 24 Carrot Award, to Freya Dinshah and the

Personal life

She met

, who by 1957 had also become a vegan and who had founded the American Vegan Society in 1960, in England in February 1960. She married him in August of that year. The couple had two children. She was widowed in 2000.

References

External links

IVU World Vegetarian Congress speaker profile page for Freya Dinshah
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dinshah, Freya 1941 births 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers American cookbook writers American health and wellness writers American veganism activists Living people People from Franklin Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey Vegan cookbook writers Women cookbook writers Women nonprofit executives